Related Articles

There are two types of sweet potatoes. One has a yellow-orange flesh that tastes sweet. The second has a white flesh that is firm, dry and also sweet. A cultivar of white sweet potato, "Hayman," (Ipomoea batatas "Hayman") is an older variety with tan, bumpy outer skin. This cultivar is smaller than other varieties and has a denser, sweeter flesh. These white sweet potatoes, like other sweet potato varieties, is a perennial grown as an annual and harvested in late summer or early fall, depending on the grower's preference.

When to Harvest

Hayman sweet potatoes, like other types of white sweet potatoes, require 4 to 5 months to reach full maturity. They are generally ready for harvest in about 110 to 120 after planting slips. However, you can harvest sweet potatoes when the roots are 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick; these are known as green or "uncured" potatoes. Some gardeners wait until the foliage turns yellow or for the first frost before harvesting. You should always harvest sweet potatoes before the soil freezes.

Harvesting Late-Summer Sweet Potatoes

While you can wait until the sweet potatoes reach full maturity to harvest, you can also harvest them once they reach about 2 inches in diameter in late summer, instead of waiting until fall. When harvesting early, some of the developing sweet potatoes are removed and the rest of the roots and plant are left to continue growing. The uncured or green sweet potatoes do not store well and need to be used or eaten right away.

Harvest Before First Freeze

Whether you choose to harvest in late summer or in fall, Hayman sweet potatoes require harvesting before the first freeze. If the leaves are damaged by a sudden killing frost, harvest the sweet potatoes immediately, as the cool conditions can damage the roots. If an unexpected frost damages plant foliage, cut the vines from the roots to prevent the spread of decay from vines to roots and harvest immediately.

Harvesting Tips

Carefully digging roots helps prevent cutting or bruising the sweet potatoes. The roots can spread 4 to 6 inches deep into the soil, so a spade fork is useful in digging the potatoes safely. Roots bruise easily and require careful handling; shake the excess dirt off the tubers, but do not wash them. If you want to store Hayman sweet potatoes you must cure them, as this allows the potatoes to form a tough skin over the scratches or bruise that occur with harvesting potatoes.

About the Author

Based in Indiana, Molly Allman holds a B.A. in professional writing. She works as both a writer and author and enjoys writing articles on many different topics. She specializes in topics concerning health, crafts, family and lifestyles. Her fiction writing appears in "Bewildering Stories," "The Other Herald" and "Spectacular Speculations."